I was looking for some good hacking books to get started with. My Linux Shell commands are sub-par and I have no programming background but I do have a solid grasp of security concepts. What books should I start with?? Thanks.

As for programming, I just found a great new book. I haven't read it yet, but I absolutely love the concept. It's written by Warren Sande, an Electronic Systems Engineer who wanted to teach his son to program. He uses Python and actually lists his son as a co-author. I'm about to post a new thread with info on it. In the meantime...

Thank you for the suggestions Don! I'll check them out. Do you have any suggestions for an introductory hacking book such as Hacking for Dummies? I was going to check that out but it came out in '06 so it seems a bit dated.

Maybe if it was cutting-edge stuff that you needed to find, then I would say you're correct. But for a intro book on hacking, 2.5 years old is not that bad at all. And for approx. $13 - 16 on Amazon, you can't go wrong.

I would also recommend Ed's book, Counter Hack Reloaded. It is also a little older, but Ed has a way of taking you from 0 - 60 in under 4 seconds without the effects of inertia pushing your face back in your chair. He even explains the basics of Linux and Windows before blowing your mind with multiple real-world examples. Highly recommended. You can see a sample chapter right here on EH-Net. It's a little more expensive, but it's well worth it.